Waste receptacle



Jan. 24, 1967 c. M. PATTERSON 3,300,082

WASTE RECEPTACLE Filed Feb. 15, 1965 INVENTOR Charles M. Patterson ATTOR NEYS United States Patent Ofitice 3,300,082 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 3,300,082 WASTE RECEETACLE Charles M. Patterson, 2411 Burnt Creek Road, Decatur, Ga. 30033 Filed Feb. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 432,632 6 Claims. (Cl. 220-65) This invention relates to a device for conveniently disposing of waste materials in a sanitary manner, and more particularly relates to a waste receptacle comprising a container constructed with a compartment in its bottom portion that houses a roll of bags in such a manner that the end of the roll can be grasped by the hand and pulled up to the upper portion of the container, opened and spread to conform with the sides of the container.

It is common knowledge that garbage cans, trash cans and other waste receptacles generally become dirty and unsanitary with prolonged use so that they must be removed from their normal location to a point where they can be cleaned. Quite often, these receptacles are allowed to remain in their normal location long after they do not meet proper standards for cleanliness since it is inconvenient for the persons responsible to clean them. Furthermore, the cleaning of these receptacles requires time and labor that, in many cases, cannot be spared.

In certain locations, such as hospitals, it is mandatory that waste receptacles not only be cleaned, but be cleaned at frequent intervals since they are frequently utilized for disposal of germ-laden substances, Also it is frequently desirable that these receptacles never be removed from the room in which they are normally located since certain receptacles must alaways be used to receive certain types of waste articles to prevent the possibility of spreading germs or filth from one source to -a different, more sterile location. Furthermore, since some receptacles are utilized on a twenty-four hour basis, it is inconvenient to have them removed for cleaning or emptying at any time. This is especially true of receptacles that have a high rate of use and must be frequently emptied and cleaned.

Accordingly, this invention comp-rises a waste receptacle including a container having a chamber or compartment in its lower section that receives a roll of bags attached to each other in a manner that allows the bags to be sequentially retrieved from the roll and torn away at a serrated portion of the roll.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a container for receiving waste material so that the waste material can be easily and frequently removed without soiling the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a receptacle for receiving soiled substances so that the soiled substances contact only a disposable portion of the receptacle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of receiving and removing waste materials from a container without soiling the container.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a waste receptacle with the roll of bags shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a partially unrolle-d roll of bags; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the receptacle with the filled bag ready for removal from the roll of bags.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the waste receptacle comprises a container 13 having identically shaped side walls 11 land 12 and end walls 14 and 15, also identically shape-d. The container 13 is open at its upper end and the rim or lip 16 surrounds the upper opening. The lip 16 has a portion 17 that extends n a plane generally perpendicular to the side walls and end walls 11-15, and another portion 18 depending from the portion 17 that extends generally parallel to the side wall or end wall with which it is most closely associated. While the end walls 14 and 15 extend downwardly to form a support base 19, the side walls converge inwardly toward each other at 20 to form an interior bottom portion 21 of the container. The interior bottom portion 21 is formed with a compartment 22 at its central portion which is generally rectangular in configuration, having a bottom 23 and side walls 24. The compartment 22 extends the entire length of the container, and its bottom portion 23 is in the same :plane as the lower edge of the support base 19, thereby helping to support the container 13.

A roll of polyethylene plastic bags 26 of a length slightly smaller than the length of the compartment 22 of the container 13 is provided to fit therein. The roll of bags 26 is composed of a plurality of bags 27 having side wall portions 28 and 29 which are approximately equal in breadth to the side walls 11 and 12 of the container. Connection pieces 30 and 31 are connected between the side wall portions 28 and 29 of the bags and are folded at their midpoints 32 and 33 respectively so that the side wall portions 28 and 29 can be folded flat against each other for storage on the roll 26. The connecting pieces 30 and 31 are approximately equal in breadth to the end walls 14- and 15 of the container 13.

The side Wall portions 28 and 29 and the connecting pieces 30 and 31 are closed at their lower portions at 35 by a bottom seal which is formed in the conventional manner by heat-sealing. Immediately below the bottom seal 35 the bag 27 is connected to the roll of bags at a serrated or perforated tear 36.

The roll of bags 26 is placed in the container 13 within the compartment 22 and the end of the roll is pulled up towards the opening of the container, opened and spread around the lip 16. Since polyethylene plastics have a certain amount of resiliency, the open edge of the bag will stretch over the lip 16 without tearing and will tend to grip the lip 16 since the bag dimensions are slightly smaller than the exterior dimensions of the lip. Each bag is dimensioned so that its length from the bottom seal portion 35 to the upper edge thereof where separated from the preceding bag is of a dimension slightly larger than the distance from the lip 16 down the side wall and across the interior bottom portion 21 of the container 13. Thus, the bag is sized to conform generally to the interior surfaces of the container and extend over the lip 16. When waste articles are placed within the receptacle 10 the bag 27 will be forced against the side walls, end walls and interior bottom portion of the container and no wasted space will be present between the bag and the container. When the receptacle is full of waste articles and ready to be emptied, the upper portion of the bag can be removed from the lip 16, bunched together and tied with a string 40, lifted out of the container, torn away at the serrated or perforated portion 36 from the next bag, and removed to a remote point for disposal. When the bag is torn away from the next bag on the roll 26, the next bag is in position and available to be spread around the lip 16 as previously described. After the bag has been spread around the lip 16 it is not normally necessary to spread the whole bag out to conform with the interior surfaces of the container since waste articles placed in the bag will cause the bag to spread. Since the bag is usually not perfectly spread over the lip 16 of the container 13 there normally will be wrinkles in the bag at this point so that any air trapped between the bag and side walls or end walls of the container can be exhausted through the Wrinkles or space between the bag and the lip 16.

Since bags composed of polyethylene plastics are waterproof and generally will not deteriorate when in contact with most liquids, each bag 27 prevents the waste articles from contacting the inside of the container. Thus, the container 13 may be formed from any of a plurality of substances, such as metal, wood, or any of a plurality of plastics, without regard to deterioration or staining of its interior portion by the waste articles placed in the bag.

While the present invention has been disclosed as utilizing a polyethylene plastic bag, it should be understood that bags formed of any substance could be utilized with this receptacle. For instance, if generally hot items were to be disposed in the receptacle a heatproof or fireproof bag would be more desirable than the disclosed polyethylene bag. Also, if the articles to be disposed in the waste receptacle are very heavy, it would be obvious to utilize a bag of generally heavy construction so that it would not be punctured or torn upon removal from the receptacle. Furthermore, when polyethylene plastic bags are desired and there is no problem with maintaining the bags in a waterproof state, the bags can be manufactured with small air holes therein so that the danger of children or animals being smothered by a bag is reduced. Obviously, the material from which the bag is selected should be chosen on the basis of suitability to use, and it is within the scope of the present invention to utilize bags most suitable for the nature of the waste material generally disposed of within the receptacle.

In some instances, it is desirable to seal the bag at its upper portion around the lip 16 of the container so that there is absolutely no possibility of the bag slipping away from the upper portion of the container. With the bag securely attached to the container, as with tape or an elastic means, there is a possibility of air being trapped between the bag and the container with no means of escape. Accordingly, small apertures 42 can be located in the side wall or end wall of the container to allow air to escape from between the bag and the container without inhibiting the support function of the receptacle.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations may be made in the embodiments chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed as invention is:

1. A waste receptacle comprising a container having an open end, a rim extending around said open end and generally rectangular side walls and end walls, said end walls forming a base at their ends remote from said rim, said side walls converging toward each other at their ends remote from said rim to form an interior bottom portion of said container, a compartment in the bottom portion of said container having a bottom wall generally parallel with the base of said end walls and side walls generally parallel with the side walls of said container, said compartment extending from one end wall to the other end wall, a plurality of bags having side wall portions approximately equal in breadth to the breadth of said container side walls and connecting pieces between said side wall portions approximately equal in breadth to the breadth of said container end Walls, each said bag being of a height slightly larger than the length of a side wall of said container, said bags being connected in a series on a roll and said roll being positioned within said compartment.

2. The waste receptacle of claim 1 further comprising apertures in said side wall.

3. The waste receptacle of claim 1 wherein said bags are composed pirmarily of polyethylene plastic.

4. The Waste receptacle of claim 1 wherein said bags are perforated where connected.

5. An open ended container having a base, end walls extending upwardly from said base, side walls extending between said end walls, a compartment extending between said end walls at the lower portion of said container, said compartment having a bottom wall forming a part of said base and side walls displaced inwardly of and extending generally parallel to said container side walls, said container having an interior bottom wall sloping between said container side walls and said compartment side walls, and a lip at the upper portion of said container extending outwardly around the open end thereof.

6. An open ended container having a base, end walls extending upwardly from said base, side walls extending between said container end walls, a compartment at the lower portion of said container, said compartment having side walls displaced inwardly of and extending generally parallel to said container side walls, said container having an interior bottom wall extending between said container side Walls and compartment side walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1955 Gerber et al. 229-69 7/1963 Williamson 206-59 

1. A WASTE RECEPTACLE COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING AN OPEN END, A RIM EXTENDING AROUND SAID OPEN END AND GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SIDE WALLS AND END WALLS, SAID END WALLS FORMING A BASE AT THEIR ENDS REMOTE FROM SAID RIM, SAID SIDE WALLS CONVERGING TOWARD EACH OTHER AT THEIR ENDS REMOTE FROM SAID RIM TO FORM AN INTERIOR BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER, A COMPARTMENT IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE BASE OF SAID END WALLS AND SIDE WALLS GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID COMPARTMENT EXTENDING FROM ONE END WALL TO THE OTHER END WALL, A PLURALITY OF BAGS HAVING SIDE WALL PORTIONS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL IN BREADTH TO THE BREADTH OF SAID CONTAINER SIDE WALLS AND CONNECTING PIECES BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL IN BREADTH TO THE BREADTH OF SAID CONTAINER END WALLS, EACH SAID BAG BEING OF A HEIGHT SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE LENGTH OF A SIDE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID BAGS BEING CONNECTED IN A SERIES ON A ROLL AND SAID ROLL BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID COMPARTMENT. 